title: Recruitment and consent of women with intellectual disabilities in a randomised control trial of a health promotion intervention.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The need for evidence-based health promotion interventions for women with intellectual and developmental disabilities is critical. However, significant barriers impede them from participating in research, including those related to recruitment and obtaining informed consent.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study describes a procedure for the recruitment and consent of women with intellectual disabilities into a community-based, multi-site randomised controlled trial.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 269 women who participated in information sessions, 203 (75%) enrolled in the study. While women with and without legal guardians consented at the same approximate rates (83% and 85%, respectively), those with legal guardians enrolled at significantly lower rates (61%) because of lower rates (74%) of guardian consent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is possible to recruit community-dwelling women with intellectual disabilities into randomised controlled trials at relatively high participation rates. Recruiting women who have guardians poses additional challenges for researchers.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Swaine
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Parish
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Luken
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Atkins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000592:standards; D008607:Intellectual Disability; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016387:Women's Health